


Yuri On Paper

by WhiteMarsh



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Eventual Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Side characters may be OOC idk, Slow Burn, Victor and Yuri are related, Yuri is a brat, Yuuri has anxiety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 19:42:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8460523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteMarsh/pseuds/WhiteMarsh
Summary: Yuuri has looked up to brilliant artist Victor for nearly a decade so when Victor hosts a six-month art class, he jumps at the opportunity.  What could go wrong? Pretty much everything."Yuuri stared at the offered hand. He couldn’t believe this situation. Finally meeting his idol after all these years, he was flat on his ass and stammering like an idiot. It was so typical. Just another day of his life."On Hiatus





	1. Chapter 1

_This is so bad._

Slightly panicked, Yuuri looked at his phone. It was just five minutes to nine o’clock and he was still utterly lost. The walls seemed to close in on him as he walked down the hallway. Why did the building have to be this big? There were people everywhere, going to class probably, but he didn’t know anyone.

If only he had gone with Phichit this morning this wouldn’t have happened. He had hit it off fairly well with his new roommate, but Phichit had decided to leave early in the morning to go for a run before class.

He started going through his e-mails, knowing that the room number was in one of them. He apologized profusely when he accidentally bumped shoulders with someone he hadn’t seen since he was preoccupied with his phone. He couldn’t find the e-mail.

_Really bad._

At this point there as only one thing to do. Ask someone. The mere thought of it made him tense with nerves. Mustering all his courage, he approached a small group of one guy and two girls loitering around an open door.

“Uhm, excuse me?” Yuuri did his best to keep his voice steady.

“Yeah? Can we help you?” A stone faced guy replied. His tone was polite, but he looked annoyed.

Yuuri gulped.

“I-I’m looking for Nikiforov’s traditional art class, I forgot the room number.” It sounded like an apology.

“Nah, man. Can’t help you. I think all the classes on this floor are for design and entrepreneurship.”

“Maybe-” it was one of the girls in the group, “-you should go to the information desk on the ground floor, I’m sure they know where your class is.”

“Ah, of course, thank you,” Yuuri said with an automatic bow, which earned him some weird looks. One of the girls, the other one, giggled. His Japanese was definitely showing and he hurried away, down the hallway to the elevator.

Feeling he was a safe distance away, Yuuri sighed. He had looked forward to this for so long, worked his ass off to be able to afford the six-month art course hosted by his greatest idol, Victor Nikiforov, but now it was all falling down around his ears.

He got in the elevator and pressed the button. He would have taken the stairs but he hadn’t seen any. He looked at his phone again, impatiently shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He was so late by now, it was embarrassing.

The elevator dinged its arrival and Yuuri barely had time to look up from his phone before something hit him straight in the gut, knocking the breath out of him. Doubling over, he fell backwards, further into the elevator and collapsed against the back wall. He heard someone shout something he didn’t understand.

“I’m so sorry, this has never happened before!” It was the same voice that had been shouting.

Yuuri looked up but couldn’t see anything through the blur of tears, just a big shape hovering over him. Then it started licking his face. A dog? For a moment he thought he was being assaulted.

A man, presumably the owner, pulled the dog away and crouched down next to Yuuri, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay? Can you stand?”

“I-I think so,” Yuuri gasped, still catching his breath. He took off his glasses to wipe tears from his eyes and when he put them back on he was actually startled.

Staring down at him with a mix of concern and relief, was Victor Nikiforov himself. Yuuri could never forget that face, even if he hadn’t seen it person for years, not since the exhibition in Kyoto that had changed his life.

Noticing Yuuri’s stunned expression, Victor quirked an eyebrow, then looked down on a stack of papers he was carrying.

“Ah, I see, you’re one of mine,” he said with a smile. “Yuuri Katsuki, from Japan, right?”

“Y-yes, but how do you-”

“I printed out everyone’s names and pictures. It’s like a cheat sheet. I’m terribly forgetful, you see.” Victor put down the papers and extended a hand. “Let me help you up. I’m really terribly sorry Makkachin jumped on you like that, she’s usually very well behaved or I wouldn’t be bringing her here.”

“I-it’s okay, I’m… fine.”

Yuuri stared at the offered hand. He couldn’t believe this situation. Finally meeting his idol after all these years, he was flat on his ass and stammering like an idiot. It was so typical. Just another day of his life.

Victor tilted his head, studying Yuuri closely.

“Are you sure? Maybe we should call a doctor-”

“No need! I’m fine, I swear.” There was no way he was missing his first class. To prove his point, Yuuri grabbed Victor’s hand and let him help him back into a standing position. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Victor muttered.

Yuuri suddenly realized how close they were standing, toes of their shoes touching and hurriedly took a step back, pressing against the wall of the elevator. Victor’s eyes widened a little but he didn’t comment.

“If you’re feeling okay maybe you can help me with this. It’s the reason I’m late.” Victor gestured to a gray plastic box on the floor outside the elevator.

“Uhm, sure.” Yuuri was getting his breath back and he really did feel fine, if not for the nerves that came from being so close to litterally the most beautiful person he had ever seen. “What’s in it?”

Victor actually winked at him. “Inspiration,” he said cryptically.

The box, as it turned out, was really heavy and it occurred to Yuuri that Victor must have been insanely strong to even to able to carry it alone. Yuuri was far from strong and by the time they reached the classroom he was panting from exertion.

“Just a little more,” Victor encouraged. “Nearly there.”

Victor opened the door and Yuuri felt heat rise to his face as several heads turned their way.

“Victor, you’re late!” A blond guy in a black and leopard print hoodie stood up from a chair and crossed his arms. “And what the hell are you carrying?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Victor said cheerfully. “Just let go, Yuuri, I’ll take it from here.”

Yuuri did as he was told and carefully let go of the box, watching Victor carry it the rest of the way. The classroom was spacious and seemed rather empty, probably due to the lack of any tables, instead there were a couple dozen chairs scattered around the room, most of them occupied by fellow course-takers. Rows of easels were leaning against the walls and in the middle of the room was a small, raised platform.

Victor placed the box on the platform with a strained noise and Yuuri felt like maybe he should have helped after all, but then Victor looked up with a big grin.

“Right, sorry about being so late, everyone, we had a little incident in the elevator,” he said with a warm smile directed at Yuuri, who honestly felt a little weak in the knees, mostly because everyone was staring at him with quizzical expressions.

“Uhm…” Yuuri didn’t know what to say, just standing there in the doorway, probably looking stupid.

He was saved by Phichit who waved enthusiastically while pointing at an empty chair next to him. Grateful, he moved towards his seat but was halted in his tracks when he caught the eyes of the blonde in the leopard hoodie, who was glaring daggers at him.

“Uhh…” It seemed that Yuuri had nothing intelligent to say today.

The blonde looked away dismissively, sitting down with a huff. What was his problem? Yuuri had no idea, but it made him nervous. He somehow made it safely to his seat and gave Phichit a small, weary smile.

“Okay, so!” Victor was sitting on the platform next to the mysterious box, ankle crossed over his knee and dog at his feet. “My name is Victor Nikiforov, and I’m sure you are all at least a little familiar with me and my work.” People were nodding and making affirmative sounds. “Well, you may know me as an artist but from now on you’ll get to know me as a craftsman as well. Drawing and painting may be an art, but underneath the glamour, it’s all a matter of solid craftsmanship. You have to know the rules before you can break them.” Nikiforov’s expression hardened ever so slightly, blue gaze capturing everyone, or at least so it seemed to Yuuri. “I’m here to teach you these rules, but to do that I may have to break you a little.”

The room was quiet as everyone let that line sink in, but then Victor laughed. “But hey, let’s not be strangers! I’ve looked through everyone’s applications and portfolios, you guys all still have a long way to go, but the fact that you all passed the entrance exams should speak for itself, so take pride in that. I look forward to getting to know everyone. Now, are there any questions?”

A short Japanese guy with bleached hair and a red streak in his bangs eagerly raised a hand.

“Yes?”

“What’s the dog’s name?”

Victor laughed and ruffled the scruff of the dog at his feet.. “This beauty is Makkachin, think of her as my personal assistant.” Victor leaned forward, one elbow on his knee, chin on his hand. “If there are no more questions we should do a round of introductions. How about we start with you?” He nodded towards the guy who had asked about the dog.

“Oh, me?” He pointed towards himself. “I’m Kenjiro Minami, seventeen years old.” He thought for a moment. “Everyone in my family is a doctor, but I’ve always wanted to be an artist.”

Victor nodded. The introductory round went on and Yuuri did his best to memorize everyone’s names. There was a friendly looking guy named Leo, a distant Korean named Seung… He tried keeping it all straight but his nerves got worse as it moved closer and closer to being his turn.

“Your turn, Yuri.”

Yuuri snapped to attention. It wasn’t his turn already, was it? The next one had been…. The angry guy in the hoodie.

“I’m Yuri Plisetsky from Russia, I’m fifteen,” he muttered.

Yuuri was surprised, had he really been intimidated by a fifteen year old?

“Do you have nothing else to say?” Victor asked with a crooked smile.

“Not really.”

“Then I will.”

Yuri’s expression was one of horror. “Don’t you dare!”

Ignoring him, Victor placed a hand on his head and fondly ruffled his hair. “Yuratchka here is my nephew, but rest assured, he went through the same examination process as everyone else. He is exceptionally talented.”

Under his hand, Yuri seethed. “Don’t call me that! And don’t pet me like I’m your fucking dog!”

Victor removed his hand as if stung and Yuuri was uncertain who to feel sorry for. Yuri, obviously uncomfortable, had curled in on himself, arms and legs crossed, while Victor had a hurt expression on his face. Yuuri wasn’t sure what that was about and he didn’t really feel like he wanted to know.

Victor cleared his throat. “Next, please.”

Yuuri didn’t really pay much attention for the next few introductions, nerves building up in his spine. He had to think of something to say.

Way too soon, it became his turn. He squirmed slightly in his seat, feeling everyone’s eyes on him.

_I can do this. It’s okay._

Victor nodded towards him and he started speaking.

“M-my name is Yuuri Katsuki.” Deep breath, it’s okay. “I’m twentythree and from Japan. I’ve-” _, admired you for years, Victor._ He couldn’t say that out loud. “I’ve always loved drawing.” Yes, that was good enough.

The next person continued and Yuuri could breathe a sigh of relief.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Victor stood, hands on his hips.

“Before we get started I have a couple of things to say. First of all, during this week I will be having individual conversations with everyone about what you all hope to achieve during your time here, so be prepared for that. Secondly, there will be an introductory party at the campus bar on Friday, attending isn’t mandatory, but encouraged. Now...” He grinned devilishly. “Let’s get started for real.”


	2. Chapter 2

When Victor removed the lid of the box, everyone raised themselves slightly in their seats to get a peek inside. It was… Rocks. Just a lot of rocks. Yuuri now understood why the box had been so heavy.

Yuri sighed, exasperated, and Yuuri got the impression he was probably used to this kind of thing from Victor.

“These will be your subjects for today. Lovely, aren’t they?” Victor said cheerfully. “We were supposed to start with a life study today, but schedules got mixed up so the model couldn’t be here. I had to improvise.” He shrugged. “This is a good start, though.” He picked up one of the rocks, passing it from hand to hand. “Drawing rocks accurately requires precision and good understanding of shape and volume,” he explained. “How many of you have studied rocks before?”

No one raised their hand.

“Really?” Victor’s face somehow lit up further. “Why, that’s perfect! This will be a great opportunity to evaluate your individual skillsets. There aren’t enough rocks for everyone so some will have to share. Grab an easel and let’s get started.”

The room erupted into a cacophony of clatters and scraping sounds as everyone picked up an easel. Victor took some tall, white, wooden boxes from the corner and started placing them strategically around the room, a rock on top of each.

“Hey, Yuuri, let’s draw this one,” Phichit pointed at a particularly jagged looking rock. “I’ll be on this side and you set up over there, I think there is room.”

Yuuri nodded and dragged his easel into place before getting a chair and placing it in front of it. There were two kinds of easels available, a tall one, probably for those who preferred to stand, and a shorter one. Yuuri had picked a short one, he was used to sitting while working.

Hearing a grunt to his left, he looked over to see Plisetsky struggling with setting up his easel.

“This is some old piece of crap,” he heard him muttering.

“Do you… need a hand?” Yuuri asked but he only received a withering look for his troubles. Well, he had tried at least.

“Get some paper, everyone,” Victor called. “I will personally murder anyone I catch doodling on the easels.”

There was a collective nervous gulp and everyone ran to get paper from the roll that was fixed to the wall. A queue formed, but eventually everyone was set up and ready to start.

“You are free to use whatever tools you are most comfortable with for this exercise, pencils, pastels, charcoal…” Victor rattled off, counting on his fingers. “I would personally recommend a well sharpened pencil, not too soft. You have an hour and thirty minutes so draw me the most accurate rock you can.”

There were muffled noises and the sounds of scraping on paper as everyone started drawing. Yuuri took his time, studying his rock closely. It was a rugged looking piece of granite, a reddish color with lots of black specks all over.

“Remember to place the rock well on the paper, composition is important no matter what you are drawing.”

Yuuri looked over to Victor, who was lounging on the platform, dog sprawled out with its head on his thigh. It was a little distracting, his comfortable looking sweater had a wide open neck, showing off Victor’s, frankly spectacular, collarbones. Yuuri briefly wished he was drawing that instead.

He shook his head, trying to clear the image, and turned back to his still black piece of paper.

_ Place it well. _

He drew a rough outline. 

_ Be accurate. _

He slowly fell into the calm of drawing. This was what he loved, the almost zen experience of just looking, drawing, looking again. Soon he was fully absorbed in his work. Just lines here and crosshatching there.

He startled when someone gently touched his shoulder. He looked up into Victor’s smiling face. He hadn’t even heard him approach. He immediately felt his own face heat up.

“Did I surprise you? Sorry,” Victor said quietly. “You are doing fine, but remember to think about your posture.” He put some light pressure on Yuuri’s shoulder, causing him to sit up straighter. “Don’t be too close and draw with your shoulder, your whole arm, not just your wrist. Have you ever used an easel before?”

“Uhm, no. I usually use a sketchbook or a tablet.”

“That explains it. Well, you’ll get used to it, may even grow to love it, it’s a more free way of working, I think.”

Yuuri nodded and Victor moved on to give Phichit some pointers.

Yuuri leaned back in his chair, looking at his drawing. He knew it would be a problem if he kept tensing up around Victor, but he couldn’t help it. Victor was not only incredibly attractive but also superbly talented. He was the sole reason Yuuri was here.

It had all started with Yuuko, because back then everything had started with Yuuko. She had taken him to an art gallery in Kyoto, raving about an artist he had never heard of before, some up-and-coming Russian genius. Yuuri had been sceptical, he had always drawn just to clear the thoughts in his head, never really thought of it as an art form. That had all changed when he saw Victor’s paintings for the first time.

They were elegant, somehow airy and light, yet sensual and so… close to something Yuuri couldn't quite describe. Looking at them gave him a warm feeling. The color choices were unorthodox in some way, not what you would expect. Who used colors like that? Apparently Victor Nikiforov did.

The artist himself had been there, signing posters at a table with a queue of people lining up.

“Isn’t he just gorgeous?” Yuuko had whispered.

Yuuri could only silently agree, taken aback by just how young he was. Victor had been around eighteen at the time, ash-blonde hair down to his waist, falling into his face before absentmindedly being brushed behind an ear as he sighed a poster with a smile.

Back then, Yuuri had been too shy to line up to get a poster signed, feigning disinterest, but he couldn’t hide his happiness when, on the way home, Yuuko had pulled out a signed postcard and given it to him.

“I got you one, too,” she had said with a conspiratorial look on her face.

That postcard had ended up above his bed, eventually joined by dozens of posters of Victor’s artwork. The postcard would always be his favorite, he had even brought it with him. It was currently carefully placed between the pages of one of his sketchbooks. He hadn’t put it up on the wall, somehow it would seem weird if he did, since now he would see the real Victor every day. Still, he couldn’t stand the thought of not having it nearby.

The real Victor did seem to be in his element, moving back and forth between students, commenting and making smalltalk. He laughed often, bright like a human sun. It made Yuuri feel warm inside, like the paintings had back then.

Yuuri was just about to return to his work when he heard a displeased grumble close by.

“Hey Victor!” It was Yuri Plisetsky. “This is boring. When do we get to the real thing?”

Walking over to Yuri, Victor shrugged. “This is the real thing. Can’t you just pretend the rock is a tiger or something?”

Yuri raised an eyebrow.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Me? I would never,” Victor said smoothly, crossing his arms. “This is an important exercise.”

Yuri visibly deflated and returned to his drawing with a huff. Yuuri followed his example, trying not to let Victor’s presence distract him further.

His rock wasn’t quite right, though. It seemed a little off balance, the distances between details not lining up properly. A little frustrated, he erased nearly half of it and started redrawing.

Time passed slowly, but eventually Victor clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to stop drawing.

“Turn your drawings towards the middle of the room so everyone can see,” Victor ordered.

Yuuri hurriedly put in some finishing touches before getting up and turning his easel. He was always nervous about letting people see his work, but he knew it was something he would just have to get over if he wanted to improve.

He joined the other students around the platform in the middle of the room, heart fluttering a little. What would Victor say?

“Whose is this?” Victor asked, pointing to a rock drawn in charcoal.

Seung lifted a hand.

“The illusion of depth is amazing, but it lacks detail and accuracy. You finished this rather fast, right?”

Seung nodded.

“Slow down a little next time.”

Seung just nodded again.

Victor had a small outburst over Kenjiro’s drawing, which was drawn in various colored pencils.

“This,” he said between bursts of laughter. “This looks like something I would have done.”

Kenjiro blushed. “I couldn’t decide on what color to use.”

“I like the artistic value here, but try to make up your mind next time, it’s hard to make out the details.”

“I will!” He looked determined.

Victor moved from drawing to drawing, commenting along the way. They were all quite good, Yuuri thought, but Victor had something to point out for each and every one of them. His nerves were building up again as Victor moved closer and closer to his drawing.

Phichit had done his in blue pencil with a black outline.

“This is interesting,” Victor remarked. “But less focus on the outline, it’s what’s inside that’s important.” He patted himself on the chest, right over his heart and Phichit grinned. “As for Yuuri’s…”

Yuuri felt his own heart stop for a moment. Victor had a frown on his face.

_ He hates it. _

“You need to be more confident in your work. I can see where you erased and redrew a bunch of times. You’re fairly precise, but the lines are weak. This is a rock, it’s heavy, it’s concrete, this is too…” Victor waved a hand around, looking for the right word. “Too wispy.”

Yuuri nodded, blood probably boiling in his face. He knew he didn’t take criticism very well, but hearing it from Victor’s own mouth just made it ten times worse.

Moving on to Yuri’s drawing, Victor sighed.

“Did the rock say something to make you angry?”

“No,” Yuri muttered.

“Then why have you scribbled all over it? This would be a good drawing if you had just held back a little. It’s nearly opposite this.” Victor nodded towards Yuuri’s drawing, then he laughed. “Maybe I should have you two work together, you could balance out each others flaws.”

“You wouldn’t,” Yuri growled.

Victor smirked. “I would and I will if you don’t calm down. Sorry, Yuuri, take good care of him for me,” he said with a wink towards Yuuri.

“Geez, do whatever you want,” Yuri snarled, stalking over to a chair and sitting down, arms crossed. “You always do.”

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably. He got the distinct feelings that there was a complicated history between them and he didn’t really want to get caught in the middle.

After eventually having seen very drawing, Victor stretched with a groan.

“Alright, that’s it for now. Take a break, go outside, socialize. It’s a lovely day for it. See you all in twenty.” With that, he left the room, dog right on his heels.

There was quiet talking as people started scattering, some sitting down in groups around the room, some went to take a closer look at the drawings, while others trickled out the door.

“Yuuri, let’s go outside, I really need to stretch my legs after this, and-” Phichit went to his bag and pulled out a sketchpad, “I brought this. We can sketch people in the yard.”

Yuuri smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Uhm, Katsuki-san?” Yuuri turned around to find Kenjiro looking up at him with a blush on his face. “I think you did a great job!”

“Uuh, thanks?” Surprised, Yuuri didn’t really know what to say. He hadn’t exactly been proud of his drawing.

“Well, keep working hard!” Kenjiro ran off, leaving Yuuri to stare with a raised eyebrow. 

_ What was that about? _

He looked to Phichit, who shrugged.

Together they went down to the yard to spend their break.


	3. Chapter 3

In his office, Victor was pouring over portfolios. He would have to return these to their respective owners soon, so he wanted a last chance to go over them, especially now that he had seen his new students in action.

“So what did you think, Makkachin?” He asked.

Makkachin sighed, lazily rolling over, belly in the air.

“Yeah, me too. They all have quite a way to go, but…” He leafed through the pages of Phichit’s portfolio. “They all have something interesting about them. Now this guy-” he grabbed Yuuri’s folder, “-I really don’t get. Judging solely from his art in here, he might be the best of the bunch, but…” Victor trailed off, coming to a sudden realization.

How had he missed this?

“This is…”

All the drawings were digital.

“Of course.”

Yuuri was not used to drawing on an easel at all. He probably spent all his time hunched over a tablet. No wonder his posture was so bad.

One of the drawings was different, though, it had stood out to Victor the first time he looked through this. It was a rough pencil sketch, very different from the elaborate digital paintings and concept art in the rest of the portfolio. It depicted a young woman, holding a newborn baby. Victor could feel the deep affection and love in every line.

“I wonder who she is,” he muttered.

Who could inspire such feelings in such a closed-off, young man? Victor really wanted to know.

“Well, I guess there is only one thing to do,” he said, getting up from his chair.

Makkachin looked up at him, head tilted in a quizzical expression.

“I’m going to just ask him.”

 

\-------------------------

 

“So what do you think?” Phichit asked once they were seated on a bench outside.

It was a lovely day in July, the air was dry and warm but with a cool breeze that kept it all rathe pleasant. Yuuri wanted to bask in it.

“What I think? About what?”

Phichit grinned and lightly pushed Yuuri’s shoulder with his elbow.

“About Victor? You said yesterday that you have admired him for years. Does he live up to your expectations?”

“I… Uh, I guess?” Then he thought about for a bit. “I’m honestly not really sure what I was expecting. I definitely didn’t expect to meet him the way I did.”

“Talking about the elevator incident? What happened?”

Phichit put his chin on his hand, looking at Yuuri with an expectant expression, like he was in for the story of a lifetime. Yuuri thought this was what he liked about Phichit, he was so open and direct, it made him easy to talk to.

“His dog very nearly mauled me,” he said with a wry smile.

“What? No way!”

“It just jumped on me as I was coming out of the elevator, I didn’t even see it coming. Victor apologized a lot after that.”

Phichit laughed.

“He does seem like a pretty cool guy. Maybe a bit of a goof? Very young, too. He’s not much older than you, right?”

“Just four years, but he is lightyears ahead of me when it comes to art.”

Phichit shook his head. “I don’t think so, some of the stuff you showed me yesterday was amazing, you’re way better than you probably think. Particularly that picture of-”

“Phichit?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t mention that in front of Victor. It’s embarrassing.” Yuuri felt his face flush again.

“Hey, don’t you worry. Your secret is safe with me,” Phichit reassured.

Yuuri smiled, grateful.

Yesterday, as they were getting settled on their shared dorm room, he had felt compelled to share one of his greatest secrets with Phichit. He wasn’t sure why, it has just felt right at the time.

It was a painting of Victor, probably one of the works he was the most proud of. Young Victor, carefully rendered in a style similar to what the man himself would use, smiling with his long hair falling in his face. It was his memory of that day in Kyoto, when he had seen him for the first time. Yuuko was the only other person who had seen it before, Yuuri had found it too embarrassing to show to anyone else. It was his personal tribute.

“I didn’t even spend that long on it. Three hours at the most, I think.”

“Maybe you should show him,” Phichit suggested.

“No, never.” That was totally out of the question.

“Well, you do whatever you think is right. Oh,” Phichit looked up. “There he is right now, speaking of the devil.”

Following Phichit’s gaze, Yuuri found Victor sauntering towards them.

“Enjoying your break?” Victor asked, beaming down at them.

“Very much,” Phichit said cheerfully.

“Uh, yeah.” Yuuri had a hard time meeting Victor’s eyes. All he could think about was the painting.

“Good! When you are done enjoying it, I would like to see you, Yuuri, in my office.”

Yuuri froze. What did that even mean? Was Victor so disappointed in his performance? It had barely been a day, was he failing already?

Victor laughed. “Don’t look so frightened. It’s just the individual talk about the course. You’re up first. Nothing bad.”

“Oh.” Yuuri had completely forgotten about that. For the billionth time that day, he felt blood rush to his face.

_I’m an idiot._

Victor looked at his watch.

“Well, breaktime is nearly over, why don’t we walk back together?”

Phichit nodded and Yuuri was dragged along as they went back into the building, Phichit and Victor chatting casually all the way. Yuuri couldn’t help a small stab of jealousy.

_Why can’t I be like this?_

Yuuri had never been very good at socializing and situations like this just made it painfully obvious. He wanted to talk to Victor, he really did, but he just didn’t know how to approach him.

Back in the classroom, people were slowly gathering, everyone perking up when Victor entered.

“Unfortunately I won’t be around much for the rest of the day,” Victor announced. “I will be having those individual conversations I talked about, so be ready to be called in. In the meantime…” Victor pointed down. “Off with shoes and socks! You will be drawing your own feet. I’ve heard too many people complaining about feet and I’m having none of it, so get going!”

Plisetsky groaned.

“Come with me,” Victor said, turning to Yuuri.

Yuuri dutifully followed behind Victor as he was led down the corridor. He was sweating and it wasn’t just because it was a warm day. The prospect of being alone with Victor was rather nerve wracking. He just knew he would say something stupid and make a fool of himself. The first time in the elevator had been a surprise and he hadn’t really had time to be very nervous, but this was different.

Victor opened a door and gestured for Yuuri to enter. It was just a regular office, nothing really signifying that it belonged to Victor Nikiforov. No paintings or any personal effects, just Makkachin sleeping in the corner. On the desk was a laptop and a stack of portfolios, one of them was open and Yuuri realized it was his.

Victor sat down on his chair and motioned for Yuuri to take seat opposite him.

“So, Yuuri,” Victor leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands. “Tell me about what you did before coming here.”

“Is-isn’t that in my application?”

“It is, but I’d like to hear about it in your own words.”

“Well…” Yuuri thought about it for a moment. He found himself looking anywhere but at Victor directly. “I did some freelance work, mostly for indie game developers back home, some abroad as well. I tried getting into the anime industry but it’s really competitive and I’m not that great an animator.” He was fidgeting. “I… mostly did odd jobs. Past half year I worked in a bakery to raise money for this class.”

It had been kind of hell for Yuuri, getting up way before the crack of dawn to go to work, the burns on his arms and the fact that the smell of freshly baked bread had become a huge turn-off.

“Hmm.”

Daring to meet Victor’s eyes, Yuuri found him with a distant expression.

_I’m boring him!_

He had no idea what else to say. Yuuri was slinking back, shoulders creeping up around his ears. Panic was setting in.

“Do you find me intimidating?”

“What?” Yuuri sputtered.

_Where did that come from?_

“You don’t feel comfortable around me.” It wasn’t a question and Victor looked almost a little hurt. It stabbed at Yuuri’s weak heart. “What can I do to change that?”

“I..” Yuuri was at a loss. “I don’t know.”

He felt really bad for some reason. It wasn’t Victor’s fault that he was an awkward mess. A loser and a really sore one at that. He should just pull himself together.

“I-I think I just need time,” Yuuri said quietly. “To get used to it all.” Yes, that was probably it.

A slow smile spread on Victor’s face.

“Then time you shall have. Just know that this door-” he nodded toward the door, “-is always open. If you need advice, a friendly chat, whatever really.”

_Too bad I’ll never have the guts to take that opportunity, though._

“Thank you,” Yuuri said instead.

“Now, with that out of the way, I really wanted to talk about this.” Victor turned Yuuri portfolio sideways so they both could see. “How long have you been painting digitally?”

“Uh, six years, I think? I got my first tablet around that time.”

“Why use that instead of traditional mediums?”

“It’s easier to fix mistakes digitally,” Yuuri admitted.

“See, there is your thing. You need to learn to commit yourself, don’t be scared of mistakes.” Victor turned the pages and pointed to the drawing of Yuuko and Loop. “Your traditional work is lovely, still has ways to go but lovely nonetheless. This drawing is the reason you’re here.”

Yuuri swallowed thickly. He had only included it because Yuuko had insisted.

_She saves me again._

“I could sit here and point out flaws in it all day,” Victor continued. “But that’s technical stuff, the kind of stuff you can fix. The fact of the matter is that your _intent_ comes through so clearly.” His expression turned a little sly. “Who is she? Girlfriend? Wife?”

Yuuri shook his head furiously. “Just a friend!”

“Really?” Victor did a double take of the drawing. “Okay then.”

“It’s a pretty old drawing. It’s my best friend with her youngest daughter, they all turned six this year.”

“All?”

“Triplets.”

“Wow.”

It was gradually dawning on Yuuri that they were having an actual conversation now. Seeing his realization, Victor looked almost smug.

“What do you hope to achieve here?” Victor asked.

“I want to be better!” It came out so easily, he didn’t even have to think about it. “I want to pursue this professionally.”

Victor nodded. “In what way?”

“I’m… not really sure? Yet?”

Leaning over the table, Victor looked him dead in the eye and Yuuri had to keep himself from shying away. Victor’s eyes were vast blue pools that you could definitely drown in.

“You’ll think if something,” Victor said firmly.

Yuuri nearly believed him.

“You should take this back with you.” Victor closed the binder and slid it over to Yuuri’s side of the table. “When you get back to the classroom, tell, uh…” He looked over at the stack of binders. “Tell Michele to come see me.”

“Right.”

Taking that as his cue to leave, Yuuri got up and walked to the door.

“I look forward to working with you, Yuuri.”

“Yeah, likewise,” Yuuri said, sending a small smile over his shoulder.

Yuuri left the office with a strange, fluttering feeling in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter I will post before going away for a convention for the weekend. Hopefully back with more updates next week!


	4. Chapter 4

Yuuri was still feeling strange by the time he got back to the class, but he did have to stifle a small laugh when he entered, seeing everyone bent over and trying to get a good angle of their own feet. Some had paired up and were drawing each others, while Yuri, it seemed, had checked out of the exercise completely, opting to draw his shoes instead. He probably just did it to be contrary at this point.

The rest of the day was fairly pleasant. Since Victor wasn’t around, people felt free to talk quietly amongst themselves. Yuuri didn’t say much but listened a lot, trying to get an idea of the people around him.

Eventually Victor returned, having had enough talks for the day. Yuuri felt his eyes being inexplicably drawn to him again. It was strange, when Victor’s attention was on him, he could barely meet his eyes, but with these secret glances he couldn’t take his eyes away. Victor was the picture of casual grace, fluid and confident in everything he did. The thought of watching him actually paint was a little mind blowing and Yuuri sincerely hoped he would get the chance.

At the end of the day everyone helped putting the easels back in place and sweeping the floor. Yuuri felt exhausted and more than ready to go home but he had promised Phichit they would go get groceries together after class.

“So, are you ready to go?” Phichit asked, coming up to him after they were finished cleaning up.

“Yeah. Where to, though? I don’t know this area.” Yuuri only knew the way back to the dorm buildings.

Phichit shrugged. “Neither do I, but Google Maps is my friend.” He waved his phone around. “Let’s explore! It’ll be an adventure.”

“Just for a bit, then,” Yuuri agreed.

\-------------------------

By the time Victor got back to their apartment Yuri was already on the couch with his laptop. It was a spacious, three-bedroom place, but it was currently littered with moving boxes all over as they had just moved in the week before. Yuri was less than enthusiastic about helping with the unpacking, much to VIctor’s frustration.

“Any thoughts about dinner?” Victor asked.

“Whatever’s fine,” Yuri grunted.

“And studying?”

“Working on it.”

Victor leaned over the back of the couch, getting a look at Yuri’s screen. What he saw made him sigh.

“Watching cat videos on Youtube does not count as homework, Yuri.”

“I’m just taking a break, get off my back!” Yuri snapped.

Victor sighed again, crossing his arms. He hated having to be strict with Yuri. This whole ‘guardian’ thing was still so new to him and he didn’t really know how to approach it, but Victor knew he would do anything to keep their little family together.

“You’re mad at me,” he said carefully. “We agreed you could take a year off school if you kept studying in the meantime.”

Yuri closed his laptop with snap and turned to look at Victor, brows furrowed and mouth a tight line. Victor knew that look. Yuri was barely keeping it together.

“I’m not mad because of some stupid homework,” Yuri said through his teeth.

“So it’s the other thing, the usual thing.” Victor really didn’t want to have this conversation. It just made him hate himself. “How many times do I have to apologize?”

“You left, Victor!” Yuri snapped, furious now. “I needed you! For once in my life I _needed you_ but you had run off to god knows where, all on your own. You never even told me where you went!”

Victor sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself. They had been over this so many times. It often ended with harsh words and tears, Victor slinking away to find a place where no one could see him break.

“And now you pull this big stunt,” Yuri continued. “You’re just trying to convince everyone that everything’s okay, but we both know better. You’re a massive hypocrite!”

Victor froze. Yuri was right and it hurt.

He managed a strained smile.

“For what it’s worth, I really had fun today.”

“Well, good for you.” Yuri turned away with a huff, busying himself with his laptop again.

Assuming that was it for this time, Victor counted it as a win. No breaking down, no tears.

“So, pizza then,” he said with a shrug. “Again.”

\-------------------------

“Hey Yuuri, look this way!”

Yuuri looked up. Phichit had his phone out, trying to take a selfie with their food.

After shopping, they had made some sort of Indian rice dish and sat down to eat their dinner. Shopping had been quite an experience, Phichit happily dragging Yuuri from place to place. They had eventually ended up in a pet shop where Phichit had gushed over the hamsters and it was all Yuuri could do to prevent him from bringing one back home with them. They probably didn’t allow animals in the dorm rooms.

Phichit was looking at his phone, pouting.

“You didn’t smile.”

“Oh? Sorry, I’m not very good at smiling for pictures.”

Yuuri was a little distracted, still trying to sort out all his experiences of the day in his head. It had been such a ride and it was only the first day, Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow might bring.

They did the dishes, shoulder to shoulder in the tiny kitchen and when they were done Yuuri settled down at the desk in front of his computer to call Yuuko.

“So how is he?!” She screeched as the very first thing when the call connected.

Yuuri winced and lowered the volume of the call.

“You mean Victor?”

“Who else, you dummy! I’m so jealous you get to see him and even study under him.” She sighed. “It’s must be like a dream.”

_It kinda started like a nightmare, though._

“It’s been… something alright.”

On the video feed, Yuuko leaned forward, eager.

“Tell me all about it!”

Yuuri looked over his shoulder. Phichit was on his bed, reading and seemingly undisturbed. He didn’t understand Japanese anyway, so Yuuri felt safe to tell her all about his day. Many gasp and squeals later, Yuuri was truly feeling the weight of his exhaustion.

“I’m going to hang up now.”

“Yeah, you look beat,” Yuuko noted. “Get some rest.”

“I will. Goodnight.”

After ending the call Yuuri slumped back in his chair with a long exhale. He could tell he next six months were going to be madness. He just hoped he was prepared.

\-------------------------

On the second day Yuuri arrived in class early. There were already people hanging out and doodling in sketchbooks and still more trickling in the door.

“Hey Yuuri!” Kenjiro called with a wave.

A little stunned, Yuuri shyly waved back. He didn’t really know what to make of Kenjiro’s attention, but his response was apparently good enough as Kenjiro smiled widely, clearly pleased.

Trying to avoid further human contact, Yuuri quietly found a chair and settled down. It would still be a few minutes before class would start so he took the opportunity to just calm himself down a little. From what he knew of Victor, this day was sure to be full of surprises and he needed to take this time to mentally prepare himself.

Phichit arrived, bringing along a shy looking guy Yuuri remembered being from China, but his name had slipped his mind.

“Yuuri,” Phichit said as he approached. “This is Guanghong, we almost literally ran into each other this morning. Turns out he runs the same route as I do, but in reverse.”

Guanghong held out a delicate hand.

“Nice to meet you, Yuuri.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I mean, we met yesterday but we didn’t really get a chance to talk.”

Taking the offered hand, Yuuri did his best to smile.

“Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

Next to them, Phichit beamed. Yuuri wondered if he was deliberately setting him up to meet more people.

Choosing that particular moment, Victor burst through the door in a whirlwind of energy, carrying a huge boombox.

“Good morning!” He sing-songed. “I trust everyone had a good night’s sleep?” There were various affirmative noises and Victor pouted. “That’s the response I get? Well, we will just have to do something about that lax attitude, then.”

He plugged in the boombox.

“It’s time to wake up properly. I hope you all like music, because we are going to dance!” He cheered with a little twirl.

“Why?” It was Michele who asked, looking confused. “What does that have to do with drawing?”

“I am glad you asked,” Victor said, holding up a finger. “One thing people don’t seem to realize is that drawing is a physical activity. Limber bodies makes for better lines and thus better artwork. It’s all about keeping the tension away.”

Some nodded while others still looked nonplussed.

“Stack the chairs and put them away,” Victor ordered before turning to fiddle with the boombox. “And you guys better get used to this. We will be doing this every morning for the rest of the year. Well, except for Thursdays, on those we will be doing pilates.”

Yuri groaned like someone about to die and Yuuri silently agreed. How was he going to dance in front of people like that? And pilates? He felt like he had stepped into another dimension, a dimension where Victor was king and nothing really made sense.

“Trust me,” Victor said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips with a confident smirk. “You will all thank me for this by the end. Dancing is all about expressing yourself openly, in that way it’s exactly like drawing.”

He pushed the play button and the music started. It was a cheesy eurodance song from the nineties and Yuuri was seriously considering his life choices. There was no way he could dance to this. It just wasn’t like him.

Victor did another twirl and started swaying his hips in time with the beat. Getting a clue, others started dancing as well. The women in particular seemed into it, locking arms with each other and forming a chain, laughing. It was a catchy song, Yuuri had to admit, and seeing the others having fun with it he didn’t want to be left out. He didn’t want to disappoint Victor either. At his side, Phichit was apparently having the time of his life, grinning up at Yuuri who could only smile back.

_This isn’t so bad. Everyone is dancing, no one will laugh._

Yuuri actually knew a thing or two about dancing, not this kind of dancing, mind you, but he could hold his own if pressured. He was feeling the pressure now.

_Now all those years of taking ballet will finally pay off._

Cheeks burning but feeling determined, he started dancing. Phichit cheered wordlessly and soon the room was a mess of moving bodies, except for Yuri who was sulking in a corner.

It was actually a nice feeling. A feeling of letting go, not caring what others thought. A feeling of freedom, almost, and Yuuri soon forgot all around him, just letting the loud music dictate his movements.

He nearly faltered when he caught a glimpse of Victor, though. Victor danced like he was born to do it.

_That’s… Oh wow._

Victor danced like he painted, sensual and colorful, with a natural, effortless grace. The worst part? Victor was looking at him, too, a sly smile playing on my lips.

_Oh god, he’s moving closer._

Every fiber of Yuuri’s being screamed at him to stop what he was doing and find the nearest hiding spot but he was pretty much trapped, caught between swaying bodies.

“Having fun?” Victor asked, a little loud to be heard over the music.

Yuuri could only nod, not trusting his voice. Victor was so close, their bodies separate but moving to the same beat, it felt intimate in a way.

Victor grinned. “Good!” Then he moved away, giving Yuuri room to breathe.

“He is something else, huh?” He heard Phichit say next to him.

Yuuri could only agree.

After around twenty minutes the music stopped and so did the dancing. People were giving each other exhausted grins, some flopping to the floor to take a breather. Yuuri almost felt like this was some bizarre teambuilding exercise.

“Well done, everyone!” Victor was practically glowing. “I think we are all sufficiently warmed up now. If you would all get easels and set up, I will go fetch our model.”

Victor left the room and people started dragging themselves off the floor and preparing for their first session with a live model. Yuuri was nervous but excited as he got an easel and a chair, his heart still racing after the workout.

Returning a short while after, Victor led in a young woman in a bathrobe.

Yuuri’s nervousness took over. She was pretty. And she was going to be naked.

_This won't end well. I can feel it._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a while since my last update. Obviously, I'm not going to make my NaNoWriMo goal but I am still going to update and finish this, just at a more leisurely pace. So please bear with me!

The classroom had turned rather quiet when the woman entered with Victor.

“I would like you all to meet Mila,” Victor said. “She has kindly agreed to be our model for today.”

Mila smiled and Yuuri couldn’t help but admire the courage and self confidence it must take to get naked in front of a bunch of strangers.

“Nice to meet you all,” she said, before unceremoniously taking off her bathrobe and handing it to Victor who placed it over the back of a chair.

Yuuri instinctively looked away. The irony of the fact that this was his first time seeing a woman naked in real life was not lost on him. He busied himself with a piece of kneadable eraser, molding it into various shapes. He knew he would have to look at her eventually, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to draw her, obviously.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her stepping up on the platform. She struck a relaxed pose, one hand on her hip and the other resting at her side.

“This okay?” She asked Victor.

“Perfect. This will be a two hour study, so just whatever pose is most comfortable is fine. Let me know if you get cold.”

She grinned. “I was actually melting on my way here, it’s a relief to be somewhere colder.”

Victor nodded, then took a piece of chalk and drew circles around her feet. “In case you need a break,” he explained.

Turning to his class, Victor put on his serious face.

“This is be your first life study, so I don’t exactly expect miracles. What I do expect is professionalism and more importantly, objectivity. Now it would be far from me to compare Mila to a rock,” Mila chuckled at that, “-but the truth is that there is really no difference when it comes to drawing. I want honest and accurate depictions. You have two hours to deliver that, starting now.”

Yuuri stopped messing with his eraser and picked up a pencil. He had chosen a fairly soft one, thinking it might serve him well for this. Taking a deep breath, he turned his head to get a proper look at her.

She was slim and lithe, but also fairly muscular with strong legs. Yuuri wondered if she was a dancer or martial artist of some kind. It actually wasn’t so bad, just looking. However… Yuuri looked at his blank piece of paper. He had drawn people before, obviously, but never like this. There was sounds of scratching on paper as people around him started working.

“Get all the big parts placed first,” Victor instructed. “Pay particular attention to the spine, as well as the hips and shoulders, these are the literal backbone of your drawing. If you get it wrong it won’t look right no matter what you do.”

Deciding to do his best, Yuuri started drawing. Doing as instructed, he managed to place the spine fairly accurately and he felt like he was off to a good start.

Mila was professional, standing very still and looking at nothing in particular, occasionally closing her eyes as if dozing off a little but her pose never wavered. Gradually, she started appearing on his paper as Yuuri got into the swing of things

After a while he just kind of forgot about the whole naked woman thing. He even wondered why he had panicked so much. There was really nothing awkward or even remotely sexual about this.

Once in awhile, though, his eyes were drawn to the other major presence in the room. Victor was casual and relaxed, and it rubbed off on his students as well. Yuuri himself felt much less tense compared to yesterday and he wondered if it was because of the dancing this morning. Victor’s methods were unconventional, but they seemed to pay off regardless.

He was in a good mindset and when Victor appeared at his side he didn’t falter in his drawing, at least not noticeably.

“You can be bolder here, give it weight,” Victor said, leaning over his shoulder to point at the line of her back. “And be wary of symbols.”

Yuuri shrunk a little as Victor invaded his personal space, but then turned his head in confusion.

“Symbols?”

Standing back up, Victor put a hand under his chin and looked down at Yuuri. He seemed to think about how to explain it.

“It’s like drawing from your imagination rather than what you see with your eyes,” he said. “Rather than just drawing a leg, a symbol, I want you to draw  _ her _ leg, specifically. Do you understand?”

Yuuri nodded, he had never heard it explained like that before. Turning back to his drawing, he started erasing.

Victor was still standing there, observing, and it was causing Yuuri to start feeling little pinpricks at the back of his neck.

Leaning over again, Victor held out a hand.

“Give me your pencil.”

Yuuri did as he was told, handing over his pencil and ignoring the brief moment where their hands touched. He felt a little anxious but also curious, wondering what Victor saw that he didn’t.

“You know, you surprised me this morning,” Victor said as he started drawing, bold lines that contrasted with Yuuri’s more tentative ones. ‘Wispy’, Victor had called them. “I was almost certain you would join the other Yuri in the corner.”

“I…” It was distracting having Victor so close and very nearly whispering in his ear. “I like dancing. I took ballet for years when I was younger.”

Victor kept drawing, but spared Yuuri a look.

“Really? It shouldn’t surprise me, you seem to have a sense for music. Do you ever listen to it while drawing?”

Yuuri nodded. He couldn’t take his eyes of the lines Victor was drawing. They seemed to somehow highlight what was already there, details Yuuri had been unable to pick out. It was mesmerizing. So was Victor’s hair, swaying as his eyes rapidly darted from model to drawing and back again.

_ I’m effectively collaborating with Victor Nikiforov. _

“You should bring some music next time, if you have an MP3 player or phone or something,” Victor said.

“I thought maybe that was against the rules…”

Victor laughed.

“I make the rules here.” And there was that sly look that Yuuri couldn’t quite place the meaning of. “If you need music to relax, then by all means.” Stepping back, he handed Yuuri his pencil, but didn’t let go of it yet. “Be bold. Commit to what you are doing, Yuuri, and this will be a breeze,” he said with a captivating smile.

Yuuri could only nod again, gaping slightly and probably looking very foolish as Victor let go and moved away. He stared a Victor’s back for while.

_ What is this? _

Looking at his drawing, it now had Victor stamped all over it. He kind of liked it, but…

_ Where do I go from here? _

He felt a little lost. Victor had come in like a freight train, disturbing his flow and knocked him off balance, but looking at it closer he realized that Victor’s lines merely accented his own. Not invasive, but supportive.

He felt a different kind of flush rise to his face. 

He wanted to live up to this, to these lines. Bringing his pencil back to the paper, he started working again.

 

\-------------------------

 

After dismissing his class to let them have their break, Victor retreated to his office. He kind of regretted not bringing Makkachin today. She was always good company, especially when he needed to think.

Out of his window he had an excellent view of the school’s lawn. As expected most of his student had gone outside. He wished he was out there as well, but surely he should at least  _ attempt  _ to keep some professional distance. Groups were forming and friendships were being made within his class and while it made him happy to see, it also perpetuated the loneliness he had been dealing with for the longest time.

He sighed, twirling his chair around like an impatient child. There really was no reason for him to be here, alone in his office. As he had said, he made the rules here and if he wanted to hang out with his students, then damn it, he would!

Determined, he made his way downstairs and outside. It was much hotter today and people had retreated to the shade of trees and buildings. Most of his students had gathered under a small group of trees, just sitting in the grass. Someone waved to him, Phichit, he realized as he got closer. Yuuri, who was at his side, looked up from his sketchbook with a puzzled expression but quickly lowered his head again when he caught sight of Victor.

Victor frowned. He had felt like they had made some good progress today, but maybe that had been all in his head. Shaking it off, he smiled and joined his students in the grass. 

“It is good to see everyone getting along,” he said. “How did you all feel about your first life study?”

“I feel like I learned a lot,” Guanghong said. “It was a little scary at first, though,” he admitted.

“Yeah, I thought it would be super awkward, but it really wasn't,” Phichit added.

There were nods all around as people agreed. Victor noted that Yuuri looked a little relieved, probably because he now realized that everyone has been a little nervous. He did wonder, though, if Yuuri’s problem ran deeper than just mere performance anxiety.

“Uhm, Victor?”

It was Yuuri. He was looking down in the grass, fiddling with a piece of kneadable eraser. Victor realized that this was the first time Yuuri had addressed him directly.

“Yeah?” Victor was curious. Maybe the progress he had perceived wasn’t all in his mind after all. “What is it?”

“Why… did you come out here?” Yuuri still didn’t meet his eyes even as he replied.

Was that it? Here Victor had been prepared to answer any sort of profound question. He leaned back on his arms with a small sigh, looking up at the tree’s branches.

“Well, guess I was bored?” Then he grinned. “Besides, it is my job to get to know all of you. I can’t help you improve if I know nothing about you. I’m sure you all agree with me when I say that drawing is a deeply personal activity. All art is.”

Once again, there were nods all around.

“Art can be painful.” Victor’s smile faded slightly as he continued. “Sometimes it’s like ripping out a little piece of your soul and putting it on the canvas. I just hope that…” Yuuri was looking at him now and Victor met his gaze evenly. “I just hope you will all trust me enough to come to me when it gets too painful. It’s what I’m here for.”

There was a beat of silence as everyone digested what he had just said. Yuuri was still looking at him, now with a weird expression. Strained, like he was in pain, and Victor wondered if he had gone too far, said too much. However, that expression was soon replaced by a small smile as Yuuri looked away again.

“That’s a good thing to know,” Yuuri said quietly, but it carried far in this atmosphere.

_ Oh. _

Maybe that was it. 

Victor’s smile widened again. The next six months were going to be interesting indeed.


End file.
